The Cell looked beautiful and frightening. Tarsem Singh (our fearless director) definitely has a stiffie for Hieronymous Bosch and other nightmarish imagery. He certainly can frame a shot. After that, everything falls apart. Vincent D'Onofrio proved perfect in both his serial killer guise and as monarch of a psychologically dark domain, but Vince Vaughn seemed confused and uninspired by his profiler role. Jennifer Lopez came off surprisingly bland, despite her wardrobe and the emphasis placed upon her character as central to the resolution of the plot, written by Mark Protosevich. I've been mulling over this since I saw the film a few weeks ago and I'm leaning towards a weak story structure being a huge part of why The Cell only almost works.
A story full of conviction is vital, especially with something like this. Take Silence of the Lambs. I think Starling and Lechter were stronger characters for the belief the actors had in them. This belief must firmly rooted in the twin powers of director and script. If the raw material the director and actors pull from is stale or unconvincing in any way, the audience is not going to go along for the ride. That's when viewers start noticing things like lighting. We'll forgive a multitude of sins if we are held riveted.
I was not riveted during The Cell. My attention was not held completely. I never got scared during the movie. After I talked about it to someone a day or two after, I had nightmares all night. That's what makes me suspect The Cell wasn't quite cooked through yet. It needed to simmer a bit. A little more attention on that plot and The Cell could've held me in the palm of its hand for the longest time, begging to be frightened.
I did end up with a good case of the creeps, though. Not because of the film. I ended up sitting next to a woman who ate an entire bag of chocolate chips. The plastic rustle and the quiet munching really made the back of my neck creep a bit. She left about 20 minutes before The Cell ended. She balled up her empty little bag, hopped out of her seat and left.
A whole bag of chocolate chips. A grown woman. I still shudder.
The Cell's plot. Not much of one. The race against the clock to save D'Onofrio's current victim plodded along, the search forclues was half-hearted, and the movement of the overall film
seemed agonizingly slow, despite the subject matter and the fabulous color and tone of the physical scenes. It was a great idea, having us travel along with a character into the subconscious of a mad serial-killer. Great idea. Looked great. Wasn't great.
I'm given to understand that quite a few people really enjoyed it. I don't know any of them. Everyone at my showing got up as soon as it was over and hurried out into the sun. There was a lot of shrugging and embarrassed smirking. Was The Cell worth seeing? I guess so, albeit with some caveats: don't pay full price (9+ bucks here in L.A.), take a nap before you go (I almost fell asleep) and carry no expectations. You may enjoy it more. Afterwards, you'll have trouble recalling much of the film.
It's just like visiting a nightmare for a couple of hours.
CSO 9/13/2000